Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/730

 720 CANOPUS CANOT was the ancient Roman code. While one small volume in octavo contains all the dogmatical decrees on matters of faith, ponderous folios are filled with disciplinary decrees. This is inevitable. A dogmatical decree remains al- ways in force, is never modified or repealed; discipline necessarily undergoes modifications. The canon law is used, under certain restric- tions, in the ecclesiastical courts of England and the courts of the two universities. CANOPUS, a star of the first magnitude in the constellation Argo Navis. It is in the end of the rudder, and is 37 from the south pole. It is therefore a southern circumpolar star, and is never visible in the latitude of the northern United States. CANOPCS, or Canobns, a city of Egypt, in lat. 31 N., 15 m. N. E. of Alexandria, at the mouth of the W. branch of the Nile, which was thence called the Oanobic branch. In the times of the Pharaohs it was an important city, and the chief port of Egypt, but it was ruined by the growth of Alexandria. It contained a temple of Zeus Canobus, and a famous and much fre- quented shrine and oracle of Serapis. It was a great resort of for- eigners, especially of Greeks, and was no- torious for its disso- lute morals. Traces of its ruins are visi- ble a few miles from Aboukir. The Greeks had a legend that the city derived its name from Canobus, the pi- lot of Menelaus, who on the return from Troy was bitten by a snake and died, and was buried there. But it probably derived its name from Cano- bus, an Egyptian god, which was represent- ed in the shape of a jar with human head. Such a figure is frequently found on the coins of the city, and was doubtless symbolical of some deity ; but there is great uncertainty about his true ap- pellation, as some critics maintain that Serapis was the chief god worshipped at Canopus. The jar god is mentioned by only one ancient writer, Rufinus, who wrote in the 4th century and is not considered good authority. CANOSA (anc. Canusium), a town of Italy, in the province of Bari, 14 m. S. W. of Barletta ; pop. about 10,000. It contains a cathedral of the 6th century, the remains of a triumphal arch near the river Ofanto, of a splendid am- phitheatre, and the tomb of Bohemond, prince of Antioch. Canusium was subdued by the Romans in 318 B. C., until which time it had been hostile to Rome ever since the Samnite war. Herodes Atticus constructed an aque- duct to supply it with good water. The Ro- mans called the inhabitants bilingues, as they spoke both Greek and Oscan. The mule dri- vers of Canusium were noted for their skill, and were always selected by Nero as his char- ioteers. The remains of the Roman army af- Canobus. Ancient Tomb at Canosa. ter the defeat of Cann, about 8 m. distant, took refuge in Canusium. It was on the direct route from Brundusium (Brindisi) to Rome. Remarkable ancient tombs discovered in 1803, in the vicinity of Canosa, whose contents wore sent to the museum of Naples, were described by Millin (Paris, 1813). CANOSSA, a town of Italy, in. the province and 24 m. 8. W. of Modena; pop. about 1,200. It contains a castle in which the emperor Henry IV. performed three days' penance, bareheaded and barefooted, before Pope Gregory VII. in January, 1077. CANOT, Theodore, an adventurer and slave trader, born at Florence about 1807. He was the son of a captain and paymaster in the French army. After an ordinary school educa- tion he shipped as a seaman in the American ship Galatea, of Boston, from Leghorn to Cal- cutta. He made several voyages from Boston ; was shipwrecked near Ostend, and again on the coast of Cuba. At Havana he shipped on a slaver, and made his first voyage to Africa in 1826, landing at the slave factory of Bangalang, on the river Pongo, Senegambia. After quell- ing a mutiny on board and helping to stow away 108 slaves, he entered the service of the owner of the factory, a mulatto named Ormond, hut commonly called "Mongo John." In 1827 a friend in Havana consigned to him a slave schooner, which he loaded with 217 negroes, receiving $5,565 commission, while the Cuban owners realized a clear profit of $41,438. Ca- not then collected a stock of slaves for his newly established depot at Kambia near Ban- galang. Another vessel was sent out to him from Cuba; but the captain dying, he took command and sailed for Regla, but was soon